


gone so far already

by fonulyn



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, First Kiss, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Temporary Character Death, from arguing to kissing, nicolo's oh-my-god-i-might-like-him moment, not /that/ long after the crusades, or more grudging allies to kissing allies tbh, taking a while to wake up, the early days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28714857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fonulyn/pseuds/fonulyn
Summary: Wounds to the stomach always hurt a lot, and the light is still dimming in Yusuf’s eyes when Nicolo stumbles to him, falls onto his knees with a painful thud as he frantically tries to find any sign of healing, any sign that Yusuf is reviving. Nicolohatesthe panic that builds up in his chest, the bitter taste of sheer, agonizing fear that bubbles up onto his tongue and seems to nearly choke him in the process.-Or the one wherein they kiss for the first time.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 14
Kudos: 132
Collections: All and More (18+) Kaysanova Gift Bag 2020





	gone so far already

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miss_Nixy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nixy/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Miss_Nixy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nixy/pseuds/Miss_Nixy) in the [All_and_More_Gift_Bag_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/All_and_More_Gift_Bag_2020) collection. 



> SO it's not exactly enemies to lovers but it _is_ their first kiss? :'D _and_ it takes Yusuf a while to wake up, so I do think (hope?) I hit two things from the prompt list with it, haha.
> 
> I hope you like it!

It happens like this: Yusuf dies. Again. 

They’ve been traveling together for so long that neither one of them is actually certain of how much time has passed. They’ve built up a tentative truce, something that makes them if not really friends then at least uncertain allies, who work on bettering their communication to the best of their abilities. It’s still infuriating more often than not, things get lost in translation and they operate on such different wavelengths that it seems that for every step they take forward they end up taking two steps back. 

But one thing is for certain. They haven’t killed each other again. They haven’t even _died_ in a while now, not even though they’re an odd pair guaranteed to attract attention wherever they go. 

Until the day someone not only manages to liberate Yusuf of his purse and all of the scarce money they’ve saved up, but also guts him in the back alley to prevent him from giving chase. Wounds to the stomach always hurt a lot, and the light is still dimming in Yusuf’s eyes when Nicolo stumbles to him, falls onto his knees with a painful thud as he frantically tries to find any sign of healing, any sign that Yusuf is reviving. 

Nicolo _hates_ the panic that builds up in his chest, the bitter taste of sheer, agonizing fear that bubbles up onto his tongue and seems to nearly choke him in the process. He holds his breath as he pushes Yusuf’s clothes aside, where they’re torn from hip to hip already exposing his blood-stained abdomen. There’s no more bleeding but there is blood, so much blood, and Nicolo can feel the heaviness of it all the way in his lungs. 

_What if Yusuf isn’t getting up, what if he isn’t healing, what if he’s—_

Yusuf gasps awake, his eyes so wide and frantic he looks like a lost child for a second. Once he spots Nicolo next to him he seems to relax, his shoulders falling back down against the ground. His breaths are still labored and shallow, pain twisting his brow, even when his body is knitting itself back together. Somehow he manages a smile that’s more a grimace. “I am so sorry,” he blurts out. “I lost our money.”

And suddenly all of the worry, all the panic, vanishes and is replaced by sheer _rage_. Not because the money is gone, no, but because this is so _Yusuf_ , and his blatant disregard for his own wellbeing is— Nicolo can’t even finish the thought before he snaps. “You—you…” He doesn’t know any colorful enough insults in any of the languages they share so he bursts into his native language, calling Yusuf everything from a donkey’s ass to much, much more imaginative things. 

There’s honest confusion on Yusuf’s face as he frowns at Nicolo, still breathing heavily, a hand resting on his own chest. “What are you… I apologized! I am sorry!”

“It’s not the money!” Nicolo yells, throwing his hands up in frustration. “It is not the money!” He repeats partly for emphasis, partly because he needs time to figure out the words he wants to say. But there is no way he could adequately explain how his heart jumped into his throat when he saw Yusuf so still and so void of life, how he thought all color had vanished from the world when Yusuf was in it no longer. How he was _so scared_ — “You _infuriating_ , unbearable man!”

Yusuf is frowning harder now, and he props himself up onto his elbows. “Why are you so _angry_?” he asks, his own voice rising with frustration, not even close to his usual tone. “You did not get killed! I did!”

“That!” Nicolo snaps, pointing towards Yusuf. He can not, for the life of him, figure out any more words though, unable to get the swirl of emotion under control. 

So before he knows it, he grabs Yusuf’s head between his palms and crushes their mouths together. He’s way too eager at first and only bumps their heads together, so painfully they both startle apart for a second. But then they move as if in mutual agreement, without a single word exchanged. Yusuf is still on his back on the ground and Nicolo practically climbs atop him as he kisses Yusuf like he’s a drowning man that finally reached the surface. 

There’s nothing soft, nothing delicate about the kiss. Yet it’s not reflective of the anger of the moment before, either. It’s like all of the confusing emotions have found a channel now, have found a way out, and neither of them wants it to end. 

Finally they pull apart, both out of breath as they stare at each other wide-eyed. Nicolo is still on top of Yusuf, pinning him onto the ground, and although they are in a dark back alley they’re still going to attract attention rather sooner than later. In a moment of clarity, Nicolo scrambles up, tries to put some space between the two of them the best he possibly can. He ignores how much his legs are shaking as he walks a few paces away, on the pretense of trying to see where the thief went although they must be long, long gone. 

It takes Yusuf much longer to pull himself back upright. Even as he does, neither of them dares to mention what just happened. “I need new clothes,” Yusuf mutters in a low voice, barely audible, almost apologetic. 

Nicolo sighs. He tries to push back all of the confusing emotions inside of himself, put them in a bottle and trap them inside, so he doesn’t need to deal with them. Somehow he manages to sound calm and collected, but _how_? He doesn’t even know himself. “You have clothes at the inn. We go back.”

Nicolo slips out of the alley and heads back to the modest lodgings they have booked for the night. He doesn’t know if Yusuf is following him. He doesn’t dare to look.

**Author's Note:**

> [am also on tumblr](https://fonulyn.tumblr.com/) if you wanna come say hi!


End file.
